Trachenberg

Summary: Although Jews lived in Trachenberg (present-day Żmigród, Poland) from the 1600s onwards, it was not until the 1800s that an official Jewish community was established there. The increase in Trachenberg’s Jewish population highlighted a pressing problem—the absence of a Jewish cemetery in the town. In 1822, the city authorities allocated, free of charge, a plot of land for this purpose. Local Jews held religious services in a small prayer room until 1861 when, because the community had exceeded 100 members, it purchased a site near the train station and built a synagogue there; the inauguration ceremony took place in 1861. On Pogrom Night, the 19 Jews who still lived in Trachenberg witnessed the Nazis burn down their beloved synagogue and several Jewish-owned businesses. It is not clear what happened to those Jews during the war.

Author / Sources: Moshe Finkel
Sources: EJL, LJG